High pressure processing (HPP) continues its growth as an alternative method of food preservation for its added benefits of improved product quality. The lack of comprehensive studies of additive migration from the packaging material into food after treatment by HPP and the ambivalent results of some migration experiments, however, has led the FDA to initiate research on the migration properties of materials after HPP to address the perceived gap in the scientific knowledgebase. This study was performed to determine changes of migration properties in PET during and after high pressure processing through a systematic approach.<br/>PET pellets were loaded with four surrogate compounds (methyl salicylate, phenylcyclohexane, methyl laurate, and benzophenone), followed by melt compounding and cast extrusion into thin films. Ultrasonic extractions of sample films in methylene chloride were analyzed by GC/MS to quantify initial surrogate concentrations. The overlapping temperature profile at 121°C was developed to isolate the pressure effect of HPP at 700 MPa for 5 min from the equivalent thermal process at atmospheric pressure (0.1 MPa). Headspace GC/MS was used to quantify percent migration of surrogate compounds from loaded PET films into Miglyol 812 during HPP and thermal processing (TP), and subsequent storage at 40°C for 10 days.<br/>Results from the study showed that HPP significantly decreased migration of the surrogates from PET films into Miglyol when compared to TP. Total migrations after HPP and TP were 0%-4% and 26%-44%, respectively. After the extended storage, the overall migration of the surrogates into Miglyol increased 3%-4%. The differences in migration rates of the selected surrogates in Miglyol, however, were not significant among HPP treated, TP treated, and/or untreated film samples. Migration data acquired from this study confirmed that there are no significant safety issues related to chemical migration concerning the use of HPP in production of prepackaged foods.

Effects of high pressure processing on chemical migration in PET

254th National Meeting (2017)

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